Dose distribution means

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for the distribution of dose portions of liquid samples for clinical analysis. Successive liquid samples are retained in respective primary receptacles which are located on a primary conveyor adapted to move along a predefined path. Each receptacle is coded. A plurality of secondary receptacles are located in one or more secondary conveyor lines extending along a path at an angle to that of the primary conveyor. The conveyors are indexed with respect to each other and the samples are distributed in doses in accordance with a predefined program from each of said primary receptacles into one or more of said secondary receptacles correspondingly coded.

I United States Patent 1 1 [111 3,869,252 Hang 1 Mar. 4, 1975 [54] DOSE DISTRIBUTION MEANS 3,687,632 9/1972 Natelson 23/259 7 [76] In entor: Hans g, 7 Stuttghrt 3,728,079 4/1973 Moran ..3/259 Emdpammerstr' Stuttgart Primary Examiner-R. E. Serwin ermany Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Murray Schaffer [22] Filed: Apr. 20, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 353,111 [57] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for the distribution of dose portions of liquid samples for clinical analysis. Succes- Foreign Application Pr 0llty Data sive liquid samples are retained in respective primary Apr. 22, 1972 Germany 2219862 receptacles which are located on. a primary conveyor adapted to move along a predefined path. Each recep- [52] U5. Cl 23/259, 23/253 R, 73/4256, tacle is coded. A plurality of secondary receptacles 141/130 are located in one or more secondary conveyor lines [51] Int. Cl. G01n 1/14 extending along a path at an angle to that of the pri- [58] Field of Search 23/230 R, 253 R, 259; mary conveyor. The conveyors are indexed with re- 128/2 F; 73/4256; 141/130 spect to each other and the samples are distributed in doses in accordance with a predefined program from {56] References Cited each of said primary receptacles into one or more of UNITED STATES PATENTS said secondary receptacles correspondingly coded.

3,607,097 9/1971 Auphan 23/259 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures HJENTEU 4 i975 SHEET 1 BF 3 Fig. 2

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OGOOO +f+f++i @000000 DOSE DISTRIBUTION MEANS BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling liquid samples in clinical analysis and in particular to a method and apparatus for automatically and continuously apportioning defined doses taken from liquid samples.

The increased use of laboratory technology in the clinical analysis of patients in very large hospitals has required that the liquid samples taken from the body be as swiftly and as automatically processed as is possible, in order to reduce the time necessary to obtain the desired diagnosis and in order to reduce and make efficient hospital management. Furthermore, an extraordinarily large number of new tests have been recently introduced for such items as blood and blood serum requiring that the initial sample be separated and apportioned into many smaller doses. Processes for the semiautomatic handling of liquids in chemical analysis have been attempted. However, none have as yet been accepted fully because none satisfy the requirements imposed, particularly those requirements relating to accuracy, speed and simplicity. In those systems which do employ automatic means, the automatic means merely attempt to imitate the manual operation normally employed by the technician.

Nevertheless, it has already been known that individ ual samples can be coded and by using a code reading machine carry out the dosing of defined quantities of liquid in accordance with a predetermined schedule. Such apparatus, however, does not carry out the distribution of the doses with the requisite speed and accuracy required. The apparatus furthermore is extraordinarily cumbersome and expensive. These disadvantages were mainly due to the fact that the system sought to carry out in an automatic way the imitative manually operated processes for specifically filling and emptying receptacles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus by which the distribution of liquid samples for use in clinical analysis can be made without the disadvantages of the prior art.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and apparatus for the distribution of liquid samples which is fully automatic, continuous and has the speed and accuracy required in this type of operation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the system and apparatus for distributing liquid samples into predefined doses which voids the multiple handling of receptacles and their filling and emptying, and provides for the use of the same means by which the sample is removed from the body, i.e., the hypodermic syringe, as the primary receptacle. of the system.

The above objects, other objects, as well as the numerous advantages of the present invention, are set forth in the following disclosure.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION According to the present invention, a method and apparatus for the distribution of liquid samples into predefined dose portions is provided comprising the steps of retaining successive liquid samples in respective primary receptacles in which the samples may be treated as a whole as for example, centrifuging a blood sample to separate the serum from the red cells or erythrocytes. The receptacle is coded and [located on a primary conveyor adapted to move along a predefined path. A plurality of secondary receptacles are provided which may, if desirable and necessary, be prepared in advance with specific test solutions or test material. The secondary receptacles are located correspondingly in one or more secondary conveyor lines which extend along a path at an angle to that of the primary conveyor. The primary conveyor and the secondary conveyors are indexed with respect to each other so that each primary conveyor becomes located along each of the secondary conveyor lines. Means are provided responsive to the particular code of the primary conveyor by which predefined doses of the sample is distributed or apportioned from each of the primary receptacles in a continuous predefined preselected manner.

Preferably, primary receptacle comprises a conventional hypodermic syringe in which the plunger rod has been removed, the conveyor on which the primary receptacles are located comprise means for engaging the piston of the syringe and in response to a given signal incrementally moving the syringe so that the predefined doses are dispensed therefrom. Further, it is preferred to code the primary receptacles with a coded cap which is mounted over the discharge end of the sy ringe. This cap is being provided with an elongated out? let tube adapted to extend to the: secondary receptacles. The conveyor on which the primary receptacles are located preferably extend over a bridge member beneath which the conveyor lines locating the secondary receptacles extend. As the primary receptacles move over the bridge, the tubular end of each of the receptacles comes into contact with a secondary receptacle located on each of the secondary conveyor lines. Consequently, in accordance with the coded predefined program, discharge of the sample in predefined doses can be made to one or more of secondary receptacles.

Further in accordance with the present invention sensing means are arranged to sense the presence of fluid in the outlet tube from the primary receptacle. The sensing means is connected to switch means which control the discharge of the tube so that the discharge of the tube will only be made when there is in fact fluid in the primary receptacle. Preferably the sensing device is a photoelectric cell capable of determining not only the presence of liquid but also its color and/or density. In this manner, when fractionated liquids such as whole blood separated into serum and erythrocytes are being handled, the switch means may be actuated to control the operation of the discharge means only when the presence of the requisite fraction of the sample is in the tube.

The present system and apparatus makes use of certain components which are well-known in this art. These components include coding and code reading devices as well as computer programming devices for the actuation of the discharged means and the indexing of the respective conveyors. Further the present system and apparatus employs known types of devices and mechanisms for arranging secondary receptacles, preparing these receptacles in line, and pre-dosing the secondary receptacles with the test solution and test materials. These known devices are not set forth in detail in the present disclosure because of their present availability to those skilled in this art.

Full details of the present invention are set forth in the following description of its preferred embodiment and shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 through 4 show a syringe adapted for use in the present invention at various stages in the preparation of the primary liquid sample;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the mounting of a primary receptacle on its corresponding conveyor and its relationship to the sensing device;

FIG. 6 is a general schematic view showing the system and apparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The primary receptacle, as used in the present invention, comprises an otherwise conventional syringe of the type shown in FIG. 1. The syringe comprises a body 7 in which a piston 9 is movably located. Attached to the piston 9 is a removable plunger 10 which may be conventionally screwed onto the piston or otherwise connected to it by some sort of bayonet-type connection. Attached to the discharge end of the syringe body 7 is an injection needle. Preferably the needle is also removable from the nozzle and may be screw threaded thereon or also provided with some sort of keying and bayonet-type latch. Preferably the needle as a whole is removed in order to allow the nozzle to be freely opened for use as will be later described.

When employing the present invention for the analysis of blood samples, a plurality of plastic pieces 12 may be inserted within the syringe body 7 which plastic pieces initially mix with the blood sample as seen in FIG. 2, when the blood sample is withdrawn into the syringe. It has been indicated that the primary receptacle or syringe 7 is to be used directly in the course of the present system to retain and maintain the liquid therein and from which the liquid may be withdrawn in doses directly from the syringe. Further, the primary receptacle or syringe may be employed to process or otherwide treat the entire sample whenever the entire sample has to be so treated. In testing blood samples, this includes the step of separating the serum 14 from the erythrocytes 14A as seen in FIG. 3, by placing the syringe in a suitable centrifuge. The plastic pieces 12 act to maintain the interface between the serum 14 and the erythrocytes 14A during further processing of the sample, thus preventing the two fractions from remixing and dissolving within each other. During the process a coding cap 13 is placed over the nozzle end or discharge end of the syringe. The information relating to the code, the sample and the person from whom the sample has been taken are correspondingly retained in a suitable computer. As seen in FIG. 4 the plunger is activated in the direction of the arrow 15.

Turning to FIGS. 5 and 6, the primary receptacles or syringes 7 are placed serially on a conveyor after being provided with the coding cap 13. The conveyor 20 is adapted to move in the direction shown by the arrow 21 so that the syringes 7 are serially inserted within a code reading and computer unit 22 of conventional type. The centrifuge or other preconditioning device may be arranged either before or after the code reading unit 22. As seen in FIG. 5, each of the receptacles or syringes 7 is individually placed in a seat or mounting unit 16 which is arranged to correspond with means 17 for discharging the syringe, which means are mounted on the conveyor 20. The means 17 includes a feed ram 6 which is adaptable to move against the piston 9 in predefined increments along the direction of the arrows 15 so that a corresponding amount of the liquid may be discharged through the nozzle 18 of the syringe. The means 17 may include suitable solenoid actuators, pawl and ratchet means, or other means for incrementally moving the ram 6. Mounted on the nozzle 18 is an elongated flexible tube 8 which bends over at an angle to extend downwardly contrary to the vertically upward extension of the syringe 7. The pressure on the piston 9 is adapted to maintain a column of fluid or liquid in the tube 8.

As the successive receptacles are moved along the conveyor 20 they come into operative contact with a code reading, decoding and stamping device in which the codes on each of the receptacles or syringes 7 are translated into operative instructions. The latter means 23 are operative to control the known means for preparing and arranging the secondary receptacles indicated by the reference numeral 2 in FIG. 6. These means prepare the receptacles with the proper test solutions or test material and align the receptacles in a plurality of rows or conveyor lines 25 at predefined spaced intervals. As the primary receptacles pass through the decoding device 23 the code is read and stored and then transmitted to provide a corresponding indicational code on the secondary receptacles which are to subsequently receive a portion or a dose of the sample contained in the corresponding syringe 7. From the decoding device 23 the syringes are successively led to closing apparatus which contains the means for actuating the discharge mechanism 17 including the ram 6. At this point, the receptacles are moved in the direction 26 over a bridge 1 transverse to the direction of the parallel lines 25 by which the secondary receptacles 2 are conveyed. Further at this point a sensing device 4 is provided through which the end of the flexible tube 8 passes. The sensing device 4 is preferably a photoelectric cell and suitable light source which determines the pressure or absence of fluid in the tube 8. Further the photocell is adapted to sense either the color or density of the fluid therein so that for example when whole blood is to be tested, the sensing device can distinguish between the difference of the serum and the erythrocytes. Connected by a lead line 9 with the sensing device 4 is a switch device 3 which controls the operation of the discharge mechanism 24. The switch device 3 and the sensing device 4 are preferably provided with means to control the discharge mechanism 24 in accordance with predefined program for delivering the doses from the syringe 7 to the secondary receptacles 2. The conveyors 25 move in a parallel direction with each other and parallel to the direction of the conveyor 20 as indicated by the arrow 21. The bridge 1 contains a conveyor which indexes with respect to each of the conveyors 25 in a step-by-step movement. And preferably extends transversely to the conveyors 25. Each of the conveyors 25 pass on to a specific testing and measuring instrument as for example devices for sugar determination, hemoglobin content, etc. Consequently, according to a predefined program which may be stored separately from the present apparatus and which is consequently not shown in the drawings, the control of the coding device 22, the decoding and stamping device 23 which controls the preparation of the secondary receptacles, and the discharge mechanism 24 can be so cooperatively arranged so that predefined doses are discharged from each of the syringes 7 into one or more of the secondary receptacles arranged on the individual conveyors 25 as the particular syringe 7 is indexed past the particular conveyor 25. Although the secondary receptacles can be pre-prepared with the test solutions or test material, the materials may be added after the secondary receptacles pass the bridge 1 and are filled with the dose from the sample contained in the syringe 7.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention provides many features and advantages not found in the prior art. In particular, the use of a syringe 7 as the primary receptacle reduced the fairly large number of vessels that had to be previously employed whenever the blood sample or similar liquid sample was transferred from the actual hypodermic syringe manu ally to the dosing unit. According to the present invention, the same syringe which is employed to withdraw or remove the liquid from the patients body is simultaneously used as the dosing vessel, and in this way the transfer of the fluid, and the possibility of the loss of liquid or the contamination of the liquid is greatly reduced. While a removable plunger is described, a standard syringe in which the plunger is not removable may also be employed with only slight modification to the discharge means of the system. In any event, removable plunger type syringes are well-known in the present art.

The present arrangement further enables the secondary receptacles to be pre-prepared. Apparatus for the preparation of secondary receptacles including means for filling and dosing the secondary receptacles with the required test solution or test material, are well known. This apparatus may be placed either in conjunction with the system of the present invention or may be separately maintained and onlythe receptacles fed to the present apparatus. Furthermore, the conveyance of the secondary conveyor lines in parallel directions beneath a bridge which carries the primary receptacles provides a simple and effective way for bringing the primary and secondary receptacles into adjacent arrangement or contact with each other so that a transference of the liquid from one to the other may be easily and simply made. Furthermore, it is preferable that the secondary receptacles be coded to correspond with the primary receptacles from which they are to receive a dose sample. Preferably this coding should be made before the secondary receptacles pass the bridge 1 and before they are inserted into the conveyors of the secondary conveying lines so that a more assured correspondence of the secondary and primary vessels are ob tained.

The flexible tube extension and the vertical arrangement of the syringe 7 in the conveyor 20 has also a great deal of benefit. In this arrangement the piston 9 of the syringe can be activated to maintain a head or column of fluid in the elongated tube 8 so that an instantaneous discharge of fluid is possible and so that air or other impurities cannot enter into the syringe and contaminate the blood sample. The flexible tube 8 can be fitted either manually or mechanically onto the nozzle 18 of the syringe by well-known means. The flexibility of the tube 8 also permits accurate location and correspondence to the particular secondary receptacle into which the material sample is to be inserted. Furthermore, disposable flexible tubes of the type 8 can be very inexpensively made from plastic. The tubes are preferably made of the same thin caliber, same diameter internal bore and of equal length so that they are readily interchangeable one with the other. The use of disposable flexible tubes has a further advantage in that once a tube is used it may be discarded so that any residue of liquid from one receptacle to another would be avoided. This is particularly useful in the testing of blood since the carry over of serum from one test sample to another is destructive of the clinical analysis completely.

The use of a photocell sensing device and combined switch unit is also extremely beneficial in that it not only senses the pressure of liquid in the receptacle which may be dosed into the secondary receiving unit, but it also is capable of sensing the difference between fractions of the sample. This is particularly useful in sampling blood wherein only the serum is to be tested and the presence of erythrocytes are to be avoided. Thus, the advantage of switching off the apparatus when the sensing device responds to the admixture of only a portion of the erythrocytes in the serum is quite advantageous. Furthermore, the sensing and combined switch mechanism should be provided with means by which the ram 6 is permitted to be actuated against the piston 9 in order to discharge a full column of fluid into the tube 8 before the incremental step-by-step discharge of the fluid is made into the secondary containers. Thus the switch should be provided with two stages, the first stage being a preparation stage wherein the tube is completely filled so that only after this complete fllling can a signal be given which enables the dosing of the predefined amounts.

The present arrangement further provides, that in the event of there being too much liquid in the primary receptacles, a conveyor control is actuated by means of which the distributor head travels to a storage unit until the switch-off device comes into operation. As a result of the present system and apparatus, the equipment operates extraordinarily rapidly and the actual filling operation of the tube 18 by the application of preliminary pressure applied to the piston of the syringe takes no more than one second. The step-by-step indexing of the plunger mechanism to subsequently dispense predetermined doses into the secondary receptacles also proceeds extremely rapidly, and because of the successive operation multiple receptacles may be filled at the same time from multiple primary syringes. For example, a succession of 400 samples contained in primary receptacles, each of which may be divided out into 10 predetermined doses in secondary receptacles, takes only between 1 to 2 hours to completely effect the desired distribution.

Several modifications, changes and alternative embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the present art. The present disclosure is therefore intended to be illustrative only of the present invention and not limiting of its scope.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for the distribution of dosed portions of liquid samples for clinical analysis from the hypodermic syringe used to obtain the same from the patient, said hypodermic syringe having a barrel and a piston located therein, comprising a primary conveyor moving along a predefined path, means for locating said syringe on said primery conveyor, means for coding said syringe, at least one secondary conveyor adapted to contain one or more dose receiving receptacles, said primery conveyor extending in a transverse path over the path of the secondary conveyor, means for indexing said conveyors individually with respect to each other to place a syringe in successive proximity to one or more of said secondary receptacles, a flexible tube connected to the outlet of said syringe to extend into each of the successively adjacent dose receptacles, means for indexing the plunger of said syringe to discharge a predefined portion of said sample from said syringe into selected ones of said dose receptacles, and means for coding said secondary receptacles receiving said dose correspondingly with the syringe.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 including sensing means responsive to the presence of liquid in said outlet tube and switch means responsive to said sensing means for controlling said means for discharging said syringe.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 including photocell means for sensing the presence of liquid in said tube.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for discharging said syring comprises a ram adapted to engage the pistons of said syringe and actuator means for incrementally moving the same.

5. Apparatus in according with claim 2 including storage means remote from said primary conveyor, a distributor for selectively locating said syringe on said primary conveyor or in said storage means and switch means for controlling the distributor to locate said syringe in said storage means in the event of there being too much liquid in the syringe.

6. The apparatus in according with claim 2, wherein the switch means operates in two stages, the first stage acting to fill said tube, and after the first stage a signal is transmitted when the tube is completely filled.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the sample is blood and said apparatus includes centrifuging means to fractionate said blood in said syringe into serum and erythrocytes, wherein said switch means is adapted to permit operation of the discharge means when serum is sensed and to prevent operation of the discharge means when erythrocytes are sensed. 

1. APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF DOSED PORTIONS OF LIQUID SAMPLES FOR CLINICAL ANALYSIS FROM THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE USED TO OBTAIN THE SAME FROM THE PATIENT, SAID HYPODERMIC SYRINGE HAVING A BARREL AND A PISTON LOCATED THEREIN, COMPRISING A PRIMARY CONVEYOR MOVING ALONG A PREDEFINED PATH, MEANS FOR LOCATING SAID SYRINGE ON SAID PRIMERY CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR CODING SAID SYRINGE, AT LEAST ONE SECONDARY CONVEYOR ADAPTED TO CONTAIN ONE OR MORE DOSE RECEIVING RECEPTACLES, SAID PRIMERY CONVEYOR EXTENDING IN A TRANSVERSE PATH OVER THE PATH OF THE SECONDARY CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR INDEXING SAID CONVEYORS INDIVIDUALLY WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER TO PLACE A SYRINGE IN SUCCESSIVE PROXIMITY TO ONE OR MORE OF SAID SECONDARY RECEPTACLES, A FLEXIBLE TUBE CONNECTED TO THE OUTLET OF SAID SYRINGE TO EXTEND INTO EACH OF THE SUCCESSIVELY ADJACENT DOSE RECEPTACLES, MEANS FOR INDEXING THE PLUNGER OF SAID SYRINGE TO DISCHARGE A PREDEFINED PORTION OF SAID SAMPLE FROM SAID SYRINGE INTO SELECTED ONES OF SAID DOSE RECPTACLES, AND MEANS FOR CODING SAID SECONDARY RECEPTACLES RECEIVING SAID DOSE CORRESPONDINGLY WITH THE SYRINGE.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 including sensing means responsive to the presence of liquid in said outlet tube and switch means responsive to said sensing means for controlling said means for discharging said syringe.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 including photocell means for sensing the presence of liquid in said tube.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for discharging said syring comprises a ram adapted to engage the pistons of said syringe and actuator means for incrementally moving the same.
 5. Apparatus in according with claim 2 including storage means remote from said primary conveyor, a distributor for selectively locating said syringe on said primary conveyor or in said storage means and switch means for controlling the distributor to locate said syringe in said storage means in the event of there being too much liquid in the syringe.
 6. The apparatus in according with claim 2, wherein the switch means operates in two stages, the first stage acting to fill said tube, and after the first stage a signal is transmitted when the tube is completely filled.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the sample is blood and said apparatus includes centrifuging means to fractionate said blood in said syringe into serum and erythrocytes, wherein said switch means is adapted to permit operation of the discharge means when serum is sensed and to prevent operation of the discharge means when erythrocytes are sensed. 